Pregame buzz: It gets asked during every long trip. “Are we there yet?” Buckeye Nation wondered the same thing as Ohio State left home for the first time. After weeks of stops and starts, when would OSU “arrive” as a legitimate conference contender? Answer: The Buckeyes reached their destination in East Lansing.

Worth the trip? Ohio State fans who didn’t pass out while passing through Ann Arbor were treated to another OSU nail-biter — is there any other kind anymore? — that helped define their team. The Buckeyes are like the knob on a faulty floor lamp. Keep turning, and eventually the light comes on.

Just wondering: Can Ohio State run the table? A week ago it seemed a long shot, but if Michigan State is the best the Big Ten has to offer, and if the Buckeyes can beat the best on the road, then 12-0 should no longer elicit snickers and rolling of the eyes.

The view

How the team sees it: 5-0. Enough said.
How the pollsters will see it: You are the best of a bad Big Ten, but at least your toughness is showing.

How Buckeye Nation will see it: We should have taken a bowl ban last season.

Urban(e) dictionary

The plain definition: “This was a war ... two sledgehammers going at each other.”

The political correction: “These two teams just had a difference of opinion. Good, robust discussion.”

They said it

As heard on TV: You know that kindly grandfather who says whatever he wants, whenever he wants? Well, his name is Brent Musburger. It is becoming almost endearing with old Brent. Almost. We’re pretty sure Moosey referred to the players as “youngsters” at least 275 times. And did you catch when he called Kirk Herbstreit a “lad?” Aww. But of course there’s more. Receiver Corey “Philly” Brown became “Eagle” and defensive back Corey Brown, who is from near Pittsburgh, became “Steeler.” Get it? Ugh. Herbstreit, meanwhile, was his solid self, even if one “pin their ears back” is more than enough.

Numbers for dummies

0: First downs rushing for MSU, which entered with 7.8 per game

2: Collective sighs of relief by Buckeyes fans, for each time Miller returned to the game after injuries

On tap

When Nebraska last visited Ohio Stadium (1956), the Huskers felt right at home among the cornfields of Columbus. Most of those crops have been flattened, so again it should feel like home for the once-mighty Nebraska program.